Rose has never told the truth

ESPN’s recent revelation that Pete Rose bet on baseball while still a player is hardly surprising since Rose has had difficulty telling the truth for a long time.

Back in 1989 when gambling allegations first broke, Rose insisted he never bet on baseball, then admitted 15 years later that he did bet on baseball while he was managing the Reds after he was done as a player.

ESPN discovered a notebook from 1986 – when Rose was the Reds’ player/manager – that shows in Rose’s own handwriting that he was betting on baseball, including on the Reds.

Some thought Rose had a shot at reinstatement under new MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, but that slim hope is now gone in light of these latest revelations.

Had Rose told the truth about his gambling from the very beginning, he might today be in the Hall of Fame.

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Speaking of gambling, it sounds like Phil Mickelson may have a problem in that area, too.

ESPN reported earlier this week that Mickelson was a “gambling client” who in 2010 sent a wire transfer of $2.7 million to a man now charged in a money laundering case.

Mickelson is also under a federal investigation which is examining whether he used insider trading information in stock deals.

By the way, Mickelson earns more than $40 million a year, which seems to be just enough to get him into trouble.

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Trivia Time – The Dallas Texans of the NFL moved to Baltimore after the 1952 season and became known as the Colts.

This week’s question – In what year did Pete Rose become player/manager of the Cincinnati Reds?

Steve Stout can be reached at 652-1331 (ext. 1776) or on Twitter @udcstout